Retrieving Her Parents
by Harry50
Summary: Hermione goes to Australia to look for her parents and restore their memories. Epilogue compliant


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the other characters, though I wish I did. They are all property of J.K. Rowling and her business associates.

**Retrieving the Parents**

The war was over. Voldmort was finally dead, but so were too many of those who fought him.

The survivors were all sitting in the great hall. The bodies of the dead were stretched upon the long tables at one side, with friends a families mourning for their dears, while on the other side there seemed to be a spontaneous party, where those who survived celebrated the victory and the mere fact that they were still alive.

Hermione was sitting besides Ron, holding his hand and trying to comfort him. All the Weasleys had taken Fred's death very hard. George was probably hurt the most by his twin's death, as Fred was more than just his brother; he was, in a way, his alter-ego and George seemed to have lost part of himself along with Fred. Ron seemed to be affected almost as much. Among his siblings, he was closest to the twins. He was now sitting with a blank expression, staring at nothing, not even holding Hermione's hand. Hermione couldn't blame him. They had both been there when the wall collapsed upon Fred. There was nothing anybody could do to save him, but that couldn't help their feelings.

They had both gone with Harry to the headmaster's office, but once they finished, Harry decided to go to the dormitory. He needed some time alone, after all that he had gone through during the night, and he was totally exhausted. Hermione would have done the same, but Ron insisted on staying with his family, and she couldn't leave him there alone. Yet he was alone. Hermione wasn't even sure he was still aware of her presence at his side, or of Ginny, sitting on his other side. He was deep in his thoughts, his mourning and his exhaustion.

Somebody came near them. Hermione raised her head to see Dean. He was also showing the signs of battle: his shirt was torn, showing some cuts and bruises on his chest and his hair was singed. He tapped Ron on the shoulder. "I've just found out about Fred. I'm really sorry" he said. Ron just looked at him and then slumped his shoulders back.

"I'm sure he appreciates your kind words," Hermione told Dean, "but he is currently unable to show it to you."

"That's alright," said Dean. "I'm sure he hurts a lot."

He then turned to Ginny. "I'm so sorry, Ginny. Is there anything I can do to ease your pain?"

"You are already doing it" answered Ginny. "Kind words and friendship – that's what we all need now. Just try to keep an eye on Ron. He may need your help more than he shows right now."

"Fine. I'll just go to the hospital wing to have some of my wounds treated and then I'll be back."

Ginny looked at his back as he departed. "If it wasn't for Harry, I could have been quite happy with Dean, I think," she said, mostly to herself. "He is turning into quite a fine man."

A while later Hermione heard a voice calling "Ron, Hermione!" It was Lavender. She was also showing signs of the battle. Her robes were torn and a part of her shirt was missing, revealing her belly with some dark signs on it as well.

"I wanted to thank you for saving me from that horrible werewolf. I could have been doomed if it wasn't for you" she said.

"No thanks needed" told her Hermione. "It was just a part of the battle."

Ron seemed to have noticed her. He looked up. Lavender saw his eyes and added "I've just heard about Fred. It is really so sad. Can I do anything to help you?"

"He is beyond any help" replied Ron, looking down again.

Lavender moved to sit near Ginny, talking to her in hushed tones and holding her hand comfortingly.

Half the morning had passed before Professor McGonagall started taking the matters in her hands. She first had the bodies of the dead moved to a side room. She then offered all those who had fought against the dark lord some quick refreshments and invited them to get some rest in the dormitories.

It was only the next day that they all started working on restoring Hogwarts to its original state. Actually, Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't manage to help very much, Harry was soon surrounded by reporters and photographers and he tried his best to share the glory with his friends. They were also occupied by the aurors who were investigating the events in order to give the public a full report of what had happened during the war and during the final battle. Harry tried once again to emphasize that whatever he had done, his two friends had been an essential part of it.

They finally reached the Burrow only a week later, bringing Fred's body along. Hermione couldn't stand besides Ron during the funeral, as she was not really family, and he had not even proposed yet, but she was at his side as soon as the ceremony was over, just as Harry came immediately to Ginny's side.

Ron wouldn't let Hermione go away from him. He insisted that she sleep in his room, not that Hermione had any objections. Ginny also wanted Harry to sleep in her room. This brought a heated debate with Mrs. Weasley. Hermione was afraid Ron would go into this debate as well, but he only smiled weakly. "I can't tell her to refrain from doing what I'm going to do, can I? She has just fought a battle like a worrier. We can never treat her like a child again."

Hermione was really surprised to hear it. Was Ron growing up at last?

She stayed there for another week. Ron wanted her to stay at the Burrow indefinitely, but Hermione couldn't. She had to go to Australia to fetch her parents and give them back their memories, their lives and their daughter.

"I'll come with you" suggested Ron.

"No, you won't. You must stay here and help your parents and your siblings. They need your help and you need them as well for now."

"But I want to help you and protect you!" he insisted.

"I know that, and I really appreciate your determination, but that is a job best done by me alone."

"Why? Don't you want me with you?"

"I'd love you to always be at my side, only this time I can't have you dragging along. I'll be looking for them in muggle areas; I'll be using muggle hotels and transportation and when I need to apparate, it is best that I do it alone. If you come with me it will only slow me down and make things awkward. You would not fit there at all."

"But…"

"No! It is bad enough that I have to tell my parents what I did in order to protect them. I don't need to have to explain our relations as well at the same time."

"She is right, you know" intervened Harry. "I remember you trying to use a telephone once. It was not a great success, and Hermione will need many more muggle instruments during her quest. Your presence may only cause problems."

"Then, maybe you can go with her" said Ron hopefully.

"Didn't you listen? She said it was best done alone, so I'd better stay here. Ginny needs me now, while Hermione doesn't."

"Oh, well…" said Ron, not really convinced.

"Hermione, I have something for you for your quest" said Harry.

Hermione looked at him, not really knowing what to expect.

Harry pulled a small box from his pocket and enlarged it with his wand. "This is a mobile phone. I'm sure you already know how to use these. I bought one for me, so you can call me at any time from anywhere, and then I thought you could use one as well, to easily stay in touch with us while in Australia. You can call me and I'll let Ron talk with you or give him your message."

"Oh, Harry, that is wonderful! I wonder why I didn't think of this myself."

"You just had too much to think about" he told her.

Hermione left the next morning, promising to keep in touch as much as she could. She first apparated to her parents' house. It was still just the way she had left it, almost a year before, except for the dust which had settled onto every possible surface. Hermione had to go into each room and remove the dust from all surfaces. It was a long and tedious task, even using magic. She then tended the small garden around the house, trying to restore it to at least part of it previous glory. She wanted her parents to feel at home once she brought them back and she didn't want them to feel like it was a derelict.

It took Hermione most of the day to take care of the house and the garden. In between he also reserved a seat on a flight to Australia the next morning, using her mom's credit card. She then did some shopping. Hermione didn't buy perishable foods like vegetables and milk, as she wasn't sure how long it might take her to find her parents and bring them home, but she bought frozen foods and dry foods to replace the old stuff she had discarded during the day.

She allowed herself a well-earned hot bath that evening. This was something she was missing badly ever since they started the quest. There was no bath in their tent, of course, and then, at Hogwarts, it was almost too crowded to even use the showers, and the Burrow was only marginally better with all the Weasleys staying there after the funeral. Hermione lavished in the luxury of a sweet smelling bubble bath and stayed in the water until it was becoming too cold. She then went to sleep on the bed she had been using since she was six years old, feeling really cozy.

Hermione dozed off during most of the long flight to Australia. It was not as fast as using a portkey, but she thought it was safer. Hermione was sure no death-eater, if there were any who managed to escape, would look for a witch on a commercial flight. It was just not their way of thinking. It also allowed her some time to try and think some more of the task she was going to perform. Hermione knew her parents loved traveling, and their fake memories might even encourage that trait. They could had been anywhere on the Australian continent, or even somewhere else altogether.

Luckily she could check their whereabouts beforehand. When she had sent them to Australia she also opened a bank account for Wendell and Monica Wilkins, as their cover names, and supplied them with new credit-cards. Hermione made sure to give herself the authority to handle that account so she could now check their money withdrawals and their credit card usage. She knew that they used the cards last in a small town, not very far from Melbourne. She hoped they wouldn't move too far by the time she could reach there.

Hermione landed at Sydney early the next morning. With her backpack on her shoulders she looked like any typical young tourist, as she thought she'd better not attract any special attention. As soon as she passed the passport control and customs she went into a ladies' room. She stayed there, pretending to comb her unruly hair, until she was left alone, and then she apparated directly to the town where she though she might find her parents.

"Wendell and Monica Wilkins? Let me see…" The young receptionist at the motel looked quite puzzled as she stepped in, coming from the road with no apparent vehicle, but he tried his best to be polite and helpful. The girl in front of him seemed to be very nice.

"Oh, yes. They stayed here until two days ago and then left", he finally said.

"Do you know where they went to?" asked Hermione.

"No, they didn't leave an address. I did overhear them talking about going to some falls, about two hundred miles from here," he answered.

"Can you show me where it is on the map?" She took a map out of her rucksack and let him show her the exact location.

"Thank you. You have been most helpful. May I use the ladies' room before I go?"

"Oh, sure. It is the third door on your left in that corridor" he said, pointing to the door at his right.

An hour later he was still wondering how that girl managed to leave without him noticing, but the maid assured him there was nobody in the ladies' room. Well, he was probably busy at the phone when she left…

'How can I ever find them?' thought Hermione in frustration. She had spent three days trying to track her parents. 'I should have placed a tracer spell on them' she mused. 'No, it would have faded by now…'

It was already getting dark. 'I'll just check in at this motel. I can't keep hopping from place to place. I need to rest and think it over again. There must be a better way to find them…"

She walked to the reception desk. "I would like a room for tonight," she said.

She paid in advance and took the key. "I wonder if you happened to see my aunt and uncle, by chance, Wendell and Monica Wilkins. I'm looking for them, but they are on a grand tour of this continent." She didn't believe it would help asking, but she still had to.

"Let me see… Yes, they have just checked in. Would you like me to call their room and let them know you're looking for them?"

She could hardly contain herself. It was too good to be true and yet... "Please, do. I'll just wait over there" she said, trying to control her excitement.

Her heart beat was suddenly hastened. How could she do it? What will they say to her before and after they find the truth? Will she still be their beloved daughter? She dreaded the moment they will discover what had happened.

She tried to concentrate, recounting in her mind all that she had to do once she met them. She should gain their confidence first, then she should put them to sleep so she could work the restoration charm correctly. And she must remember to shield the area where this would happen, so that nobody would notice. Yes, it was too risky to allow anybody to see that.

"Miss Granger?" It was her mother's voice. Hermione looked up, fighting to keep her eyes dry.

"Mrs. Wilkins? I was looking forward to meeting you."

The older lady was looking at her with some suspicion, while her husband was also approaching.

"Hello, I'm Hermione. You may not remember me, but we have met during a family get-together more than a year ago. It was in Surrey, England."

Her mother wrinkled her forehead, trying to recall the event. "I really can't remember, though you look vaguely familiar. What did you say was your relation to us?"

Her father was already there, wondering who this young lady might be.

"Why won't we all sit down at the corner table and I will tell you all that you want to know?" suggested Hermione, pointing at the corner, which was hidden from the reception desk and anybody in its vicinity.

Her parents agreed, quite reluctantly. They moved to the corner table, followed by Hermione. Once she was sure she could not be seen, Hermione cast a few shielding charms that rendered the corner table unnoticeable and gave her the total privacy she needed.

"Now, as I was telling Mrs. Wilkins, my name is Hermione Granger and I am related to you. We have been together in this family get-together last year. I can show you some pictures to remind you."

She opened her handbag, took out a few pictures of her parents with her and spread them on the table. While they were looking at the pictures, trying to recall the event, Hermione cast a quick sleeping spell on both her parent. Their heads fell to the table and they were fast asleep.

'Now to the most important task' thought Hermione.

She started moving her wand, no longer hidden in her sleeve, in a series of complicated movements, chanting some obscure spells. A bluish fog was soon forming around her parents' heads, turning slowly into a silvery, liquid-like form. She continued chanting for a little longer, The silvery substance was slowly changing shape and color, turning into a red fog and then dissipated and vanished, leaving her parents lying on the table, seemingly unchanged.

'I hope it really worked' thought Hermione feverishly. She then pointed her wand at her parents and murmured "enervate".

Her mother opened her eyes first, looking somewhat dazed. "I had a very weird dream," she said to nobody in particular. She then noticed her daughter. "Hermione! What are you doing here? I thought I had a dream, but now I'm not really sure…"

"That's alright, Mom. I'll tell you in a moment."

Her father was also waking up, murmuring something about a dream. He was not looking at his wife and not at Hermione. "It feels like I had a very unusual dream, about leaving our daughter behind… Yet I'm no longer sure if we do have a daughter…"

"Dad, I'm here!" called Hermione, and her father turned a bewildered look towards her.

"Yes, you are," he noted, sounding not quite himself. "I didn't think I was so tired to fall asleep on the table…" he murmured.

"Mom, dad, I think I owe you an explanation of what had happened," said Hermione, but I first need to know what you really remember of your life in England."

"I remember we had a dental clinic near London and then we left for a tour of Australia" said her father. "I don't really remember how we decided to go on the tour or what we told our patients. And I don't really understand why we were using fake names…" He looked quite bewildered.

"But of course, I remember Hermione telling us that we must leave England for our own safety. She then told us she was going to perform a charm to help protect us. The rest is really a blur… And then we were in Australia," said her mother, sounding just as uncertain.

"Do you remember the names of my friends at school?"

"You had no real friends during primary school," noted her mother.

"I mean later, when I went to the boarding school," explained Hermione.

"You mean Hogwarts, don't you? Well, there was Ron… Wealey, I think…"

"Weasley…" corrected Hermione.

"Yes, Ron Weasley. You said he was a redhead and you liked him very much. And another – Harry… Potter, I think. He was also a very close friend, and you said he had a lot of troubles. Are they alright?"

"Yes, they are both fine now, but we all had a very dark period this year, not knowing if we would even survive. This is why you were spending an extended vacation in Australia, to keep you out of danger. Now, that it is over, I wish you to come back and resume the life you previously had. I missed you so very much." Hermione had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, darling…" said her mother, moving closer to her and hugging her shoulders. "I still don't understand what had happened, but I'm glad that you are safely back with us."

They spent the rest of the evening talking with each other, looking at the albums Hermione had taken along and reminiscing. Hermione thought it was one of the best evenings she could remember, enjoying being just the beloved daughter of her parents. Not a brilliant student, not a powerful witch, not one of the heroes of the war – just a young girl with her parents.

Later that night, alone in her room, Hermione called Harry.

"I've found them!" she cheered into the telephone.

"Well done! How did it go?" asked Harry.

"Better than I expected. Mom even asked about Ron and about you."

"So, when are you coming back?"

"I'm not sure. It may take a few more days until we can set everything in order before we can come home."

"OK. I think Ron would like to talk to you as well…"

She heard him call Ron and tell him how to speak at the telephone.

"I miss you, Hermione," said Ron.

"I miss you too, Ron, but it will only take a few more days before we can meet again."

"I know, but I still miss you." Ron was silent for a moment and then started talking again. "I was thinking about you… about us… about the future…"

"So?" She didn't understand where he was leading.

"Hermione, I would like to marry you," he said urgently, as if afraid to lose his nerve before finishing the sentence.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was he really proposing? She could hardly believe it. They had only kissed for the first time a few days before and now… Yet they knew each other for almost seven years…

"What have you said?" She wanted to be absolutely sure she heard correctly.

"I said... well… I hope you would not be offended, as I'm really not up to you on books and all that stuff… but still… would you marry me?"

There could be no doubt about his words now. Her heart was almost exploding with joy. "Yes, yes, yes! I would really like that, Ron. I love you."

She could almost hear his relief. "Can I tell my parents about us? It may help them out of their sadness, you know."

"Yes, please do it. I think you should also tell George. It may help him as well" said Hermione.

"Fine. Is there anything you would like me to do until we meet again?"

She couldn't think of anything he could do for her, but then… if he was going to marry her he should learn to behave in muggle society.

"Ask Harry to teach you how to live around muggles. This may turn out to be very useful knowledge when you meet my parents" she suggested.

"Oh, I sure will, if you say so. I love you."

"And I love you too."

She was so excited she could hardly sleep, but eventually she fell asleep, having wonderful dreams.

Hermione joined her parents the next day on a tour of the region, telling them some more of what had happened during the year they were apart, continuing her story well into the night.

Her parents didn't feel any urge to continue touring Australia. "We've seen more of it than any tourist. It is about time we return home and continue with our lives" said her father.

It took them more than a week though. They had to return the car to the rental agency and then to reserve seats in a flight back to England.

"I have some more news for you" she told her parents during the flight home.

"Anything else you have messed with?" asked her mother with a bit of worry in her voice.

"Not really. I've talked with my friends the other night and guess what – Ron asked to marry me!"

"And you agreed, didn't you?" noted her father.

"Of course I did. You already know I was dreaming about it for more than a year."

"Then, are we going to lose you so soon after we have found each-other?" He father sounded somewhat sad.

"No, you will never lose me again. You will just gain a son," assured him Hermione.

"How can you be so sure?" asked her mother.

Hermione had to phrase it carefully, as somebody might overhear her in the airplane. "To start with, being raised in… his community, he is almost totally oblivious to our customs. I'll help him as much as I can, and so will Harry, but he will depend on your help to become comfortable outside of his old community."

"And..."

"He is also part of a big family and will accept you as an extension of that family."

Her parents were not sure about it, but were obviously not going to object.

Ron and Harry were waiting for her at the airport.

"He just couldn't wait any longer to see you" grinned Harry.

"I wanted to welcome your parents" said Ron. He shook hands with her parents and then stopped in front of Hermione.

"I also wanted to give you this" he said, pulling a velvet box from his pocket. He opened the box to present a gold ring adorned with a ruby. "It is an engagement ring, similar to the one my father gave to my mother when they decided to get married. I hope you like it." He took the ring and slipped it on Hermione's finger.

Hermione looked at the ring with tears in her eyes. "It… it is magnificent, Ron. I didn't expect anything, and this is just… Oh, I love you so much!"

She hugged him fiercely and kissed his lips, while Ron first looked overwhelmed by her reaction, and then submitted willingly to the kiss.

Hermione seemed oblivious to anything around her except for Ron, but her father wasn't. As the kiss lengthened, he approached the two and hugged them both, bringing them back to reality. "I believe you can continue this later" he said, "but right now we are blocking the way."

Ron blushed deeply. He took Hermione's hand in his and walked besides her, following her parents. Harry walked behind them, suppressing a grin.

It would be almost a year before the two got married. The Grangers became part of the Weasley clan immediately after their first visit at the Burrow, while Mr. Weasley was totally fascinated by the Granger house and all its gadgets.

16


End file.
